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May I suggest reacting to TO HELL AND BACK THE AUDIE MURPHY STORY. Audie was the most decorated American soldier of WW2 after the war he became a Hollywood actor making loads of westerns but he also got the part of himself in TO HELL AND BACK. So it's actually Audie Murphy playing Audie Murphy and that's why it's my favourite war movie 👍
Critics panned this movie when it came out, criticizing for its “cheap and cheesy” dialogue. The real Hal Moore came forward and publicly apologized that his men lacked creativity and originality during their final moments. That got the critics to shut up.
And the truth is that Henry Herrick said exactly those words.... I'm glad I could die for my country. And Carl Palmer one day before his 40th birthday who prophesized his death at X_Ray to Galen Bungham....tell my wife I love her. Hal Moore's response was perfect. War is delightful to those who have no experience of it
@@adamr6794 True. Only people who would consider war exciting are people not experienced it. Only one's who seek to use war to advance their benefit are people who do not risk themselves and send others to die for their ambition.
I am a 74 year old Vietnam vet and Army retiree. This film always hits me hard. I ask you to please see a film that Gibson directed (but did not star in), Hacksaw Ridge. It is the story of Desmond Doss, a pacifist who served with distinction as a medical corpsman during World War II. Like this film, it is a true story of incredible heroism and is every bit as outstanding as this film.
My Uncle and father-in-law were Vietnam vets... thank you for your service. You deserve better than how our country treated veterans during that time. You are truly the heroes!
"It is the story of Desmond Doss" No, its the ridiculous retelling of Desmond Doss full of typical Mel Gibson garbage. The exact garbage that Doss feared would be put into any movie made about him which is why he refused to cooperate with any director while he was alive. He somehow managed to exaggerate all of the events that happened around Doss, while also underplaying and excluding many of his very real feats. Its a fucking insulting movie if you have done even a bit of reading into the actual battle or the man himself. Portraying Doss as a hated greenhorn at that point in the war is beyond fucking stupid, he was already a veteran of several battles and well respected by the men he served with by that point. And that is only the tip of the iceberg for the stupidity of that movie.
@Nyx_2142 wouldn't say it's an "insulting" movie. Yes by the time of the Maeda (Hacksaw Ridge) in 1945, Doss had already seen action in Guam and Phillipines during 1944, which he was awarded for. But he did go through suspicion, rejection and criticism for his beliefs at the beginning of his military career. So for me, I feel that Mel Gibson is blending two important aspects of Doss's life story into one film, with a little creative lisence in terms chronology. The biggest exaggeration of the film though is the size of the cliff - the Maeda was certainly not as high as the movie attempts to portray it, but again I feel like it was Gibson's way of emphasising Dos's efforts and the scale of the task his unit had to undertake. Hacksaw Ridge is by no means a perfect war movie, and has taken creative licence towards some of the factual aspects, but it's by no means an "insulting" movie.
As a 39 yr old OIF injured/Medically retired 82nd/XVIII Airborne Army Ranger. I appreciate you covering this. I doubt the channel would ever do ‘Band of Brothers’ but it’s amazing and you should watch it on your own time. 🫡
This movie is so thought provoking. My dad is a Vietnam vet, but he never talked about anything from the war when I was growing up. Even when we watched other war movies, he never flinched. He had this almost haunted look to his eyes sometimes, but he never flinched. However, while watching this one, he broke down and cried like a baby. Afterwards, he said that fighting in the war was much worse than portrayed, but that it was closer to realism than any of the other movies had come so far. I can't even imagine silently carrying all that trauma around for decades without complaint for the sake of his wife and kids. My old man is one of the toughest men I've ever known! I have nothing but respect for the men of our military.
The same can be said of the military of every single nation in the entirety of history. War is horrendous no matter which side you're on. Everyone suffers ... except the fat cat politicians and leaders who get rich off it.
I was lucky enough to be an extra in this film! My Buddy was in the California national guard, and I was active duty army at the time. He told me about the shoot, and I joined the unit that played 1-7 Cav in Fort Hunter-Liggett. Two years later, I participated in the invasion of Iraq. Full circle, 25 years and a bunch of deployments in the army later, I’m a military technical advisor in Hollywood and I’ve worked on some amazing films. This film was truly a special project to work on. Especially since I’ve done so much training at Fort Hunter-Liggett since then. I’m glad you viewed this film. They do a much better job showing the home front and the contrast with the battlefield than most other films.
I was an extra on that too! Only did the "Garry Owen" scene where they ran down the hill to the choppers. Was supposed to be in the "lost platoon", but some unit from Ft. Lewis was down doing training, so they got to do that. You were active down there.... Camp Bob?
The scene with the cab driver is the one that hurts the most everytime i watch this movie. Wearing the army jacket you can assume he is a veteran too. He knows what he has. That poor guy
After the war General Moore worked on cleaning up the drug abuse problem and racial strife that were prevalent at the time in the 7th Division. His plan established Officer's Leadership Schools for company-grade officers and an NCO Leadership School for staff sergeants and below as well as issuing an "Equal Opportunity Policy". He backed up the policy with the promise to punish those leaders who discriminated based on race, ethnicity or creed. As a part of the reformation of division morale, he established several different athletic programs, including football, basketball, and boxing.
The 7th was his Regiment. The Airborne Division above him was the 101st, of Band of Brothers fame. They fly in helicopters to this day, while the 82nd Airborne continues to deploy via parachutes.
@@Ryan_Christopher If I'm not mistaken, 1-7CAV fell under 1st Cav (Airmobile), not the 101ABN (AAST). the 101ABN cav unit was Troop D, 3d Sqdn, 5th Cav
@@Ryan_Christopher After the war, he transferred to the 7th ID, with which he had previously served. Notice that he wears a 7th ID patch on his right shoulder throughout the movie. At the beginning of the movie he has 11th Abn on his left shoulder, then during training they all are wearing 2nd ID. During Vietnam, both 101st Abn _AND_ 1st Air Cav were Air Assault.
When Joe is doing the narration at the beginning about the Ia Drang Valley and he says the North Vietnamese soldiers that "died by our hands", he is being literal. He really did put down his camera and grabbed a rifle to defend the wounded soldiers in the medical area when the NVA overran the position. Joe and Hal Moore were life-long friends after the battle.
They also went back to the site of battle after the war and met face to face with the enemy commander. True warriors that fought for their country without hating the opposition
He and his wife, Julia, were instrumental in putting together a proper and official notification system for military casualties. Especially his wife, for obvious reasons. Others have elaborated on what Hal Moore himself did for his troops. Fort Moore, Home of the Infantry, has a name that it can wear with pride.
So the guy who was on the radio talking to the aircraft is a specialist who's essentially a combination Forward Observer and Air Traffic Controller. Its one of the most demanding positions in the military, as you're required to both provide targeting information, making sure all the bombs are hitting the appropriate targets, AND directing and coordinating the aircraft so that they don't run into each other or anything like that. I was a Forward Observer when I was in the military and received some EXTREMELY light cross training on the subject, and its absolutely insane the amount of mental effort required to juggle all those moving pieces. Hes coordinating the planes, making sure they're not running into artillery, providing bombing target information, while under extremely heavy fire, as well as being fully aware that his performance could be directly responsible for the outcome of the entire battle. Absolutely legendary men, and an absolutely legendary performance in this particular battle.
My uncle is a Vietnam veteran. Was under Moore and in that conflict. He didn't speak much about it other than Lt. Gen Moore a great leader and trained us well.
Hal and Julie Moore were so influential to the development of the Army's family support structure that they renamed Fort Benning in Georgia in their honor. Fort Moore is the home of the infantry for the U.S. Army
Hal Moore was pure infantry as well, graduated near the bottom of his West Point class but managed to get an infantry posting and threw himself into it. Whatever people think about renaming stuff, that is one I think we can all get behind.
I ADORE the shot of Mel Gibson marching off the first time. We've seen him as a father figure; he puts that helmet on and he's a Soldier. Excellent visual storytelling. Also, they toned down how bad Jimmy Nakayama was burnt; in an interview Galloway explained that when he picked him up, he could feel his ankle bones crumbling.
@@matthewperry9183 Not really it wasn't uncommon at the beginning of Vietnam. For the higher brass. For instance the Pilot of the F100 that pulled off on the Attack run that took out the PVT was LtCol Harold Comstock a 2xFighter Ace from WWII who also fought in Vietnam.
A couple years ago, I met with one of the survivors of the "Lost Platoon". Sgt. Savage wasn't the highest-ranking NCO left, he took command because he was the closest to the radio. The gentleman talked about how the Load Bearing Equipment was set up with dual canteens on their back sides. This meant that when they tried to get a drink later in the night, all their canteens were empty due to being hit by bullets. If a soldier raised above the ground by more than 10-12 inches, they were hit by rounds. The survivors of the Lost Platoon were placed on the line as reinforcements. Colonel Moore thought he was placing them in a quiet section of the line, but of course it was the section the enemy attacked right away. It was a constant chess game of move and react. Per the survivor, the only reason they made it through was Colonel Moore, Snake and the helicopters flying in and out, the officers and NCOS, their training, along with artillery and air to ground attacks by planes and helicopters.
If I remember correctly Snakeshit and his guys were crash landing back at base left right and center. Crandall himself had something like 14 crash landings in this engagement
Great reaction. My dad served in Vietnam. A war that was hated. Think about it, WW1 They came back as celebrated heros, WW2 The American troops really came back as heros. The Korean war. They were celebrated. But the Vietnam war. Which was not a win. And our soldiers returned home as villians, being spit on and called baby killers. There was no parade or celebration for them. Just PTSD, missing limbs and no real help returning back to civilian life. Very sad. The Vietnam war will always be near and dear to me.
Guys, my father participated in this battle. He came in the second wave of choppers. He ended up doing a tour and a half due to clerical errors. Came home with a purple heart and several other medals, including a commendation for the most jumps in his unit. And i couldn't get him to watch this movie.
But he already did..Bless him.🫡🇺🇸 My Dad only said he was in the Airborne. It was only 40 years later, a vet looked at his old photo as said "damn, that's a Master Parachutist Badge"..
FYI, the real cornel Moore was actually heavily involved in the production to get the best accurate depiction of the war from his part so mell Gibson could be as accurate as possible playing him
@@adambydand1214 I'm referring to how they said his name in an interview talking about the movie and how heavily he was involved in making it accurate as possible
The person in the cover of Life magazine and on the cover of this book became a VP of Cantor Fitzgerald in NYC. He lost his life at the World Trade Center on 9/11 after telling all his employees to leave, and then he went around the rest of the offices to tell them to leave. He was still in the building when it collapsed.
Army Lt. Jimmy Nakayama did not survive his injuries. He died two days later from his wounds, never being able to see his newly born child in this world.
So many young men came back messed up...my son's father was a Vietnam veteran, and he had flashbacks up to the day he died in 1985. It was on that day he finally found peace.
@@adamr6794 we weren't married, so I can't call him my husband, but he is still my son's father. Too old to use the term "baby daddy" authentically, lol.
I'm an Army Vet from OIF and still in the reserve. This movie has a special port in my heart as it classifies what humanity should be. the internal conflict. The connectivity we have with our "brothers/sisters" in arms. Love you both!
Considering some of the historical reactions that have been on this channel, I thank you John and you Andrew for do proper service to a movie such as this. the respect you showed the men, while still talking and enjoying the movie aspects of it, is how a true reaction should be, not one of jokes and laughter and satire, but one of respect and commendation. This is one of the best reactions this channel has ever done, and when it comes to historical movies, I hope and beg that it is you two for the majority of historical reactions, for you two are 100% pure class.
French Indo China was part of the French colonial empire that sought independence after WW II. The French were soundly defeated in 1954 at the battle of Dien Bien Phu (presumably depicted in the opening scenes of the movie). Communism was expanding rapidly throughout the world after WW II and the US sought to stop its progress. Known as the "domino effect" the US feared the takeover of countries one by one in Asia. After the defeat in 1954 France pulled out of the region. President Eisenhower, concerned about Viet Nam's takeover, sent a small core of military advisors to assist in the fight for dominance. This began the US involvement in the country which did not end until 1974 and 58,000 fatal casualties.
The opening scene with the French Mobile Group 100 happened at the Mang Yang Pass between Pleiku and An Khe and not at Dien Bien Phu. The French lost around 2000 men and all were buried at the top of the pass with all the graves facing France. I've been there.
Intrestingly: Ho Chi Minh first sought U.S. help to gain Vietnamese independence against France. U.S. didn't want to oppose France and DeGaulle, so they rejected. Soviet Union was willing to give weapons and training as long Ho Chi Minh would accept communism... Rest is history...
@@thejamppa More precisely, the US wanted the French to join NATO so didn't oppose DeGaulle's insistence on reclaiming its former colonies, though they didn't publicly agree or approve of that. That left Ho Chi Min, who fought with the Americans against the Japanese, only one place to go for help.
I spent my entire adult life in the military. I have been in combat, I have seen the worst of people....but also the best. War is Hell. The war at home is the unimaginable hell. This film does an amazing job letting you FEEL both. From both sides of a conflict.
1:15:39 one of the many reasons this war was so bloody is that American would take a hill or region from the NVA then “clean it up” then they would literally leave the hill/region they just captured to go fight for another and the NVA would just go back after the Americans left and refortify it and rinse and repeat. Theres horror stories of soldiers saying the fought to take a hill and months later would have to do it again. Was just a meat grinder.
One of the most powerful movies ever. The ending floors me. Mel looking over the horizon seeing hundreds of other hell holes they'd fight for like they just did. Must been awfully sobering and scary.
In Ken Burns documentary on the war, an elderly Joe Galloway is seen on camera describing PFC Nakayama’s burns and how is skin literally sloughed off his bones after the friendly fire napalm strike. It really happened. Absolutely haunting stuff.
Trumpets, how you send messages before radios. The emblem on Col. Moore's helmet are leaves, oak leaves. The aircraft were evolving at a high rate. The prop driven plane was the forerunner of the A10 Warthog as far as protecting ground troops. This was on TV every night. We waited for the news to see what happened that day. You are correct, information was now being delivered like never before.
I did 2 tours in Iraq in the infantry, in 2003/2004. This was the movie that we watched to motivate us before we left. To answer a couple questions, white phosphorus (willy peat) is usually used to melt equipment, but can be used against people. Also a m60/240 gunner has an assistant gunner and an ammo bearer as a gun team. Always remember, "The soldier, above all others prays for peace". A quote from General Douglas MacArthur. Love the channel and the reactions.
Depends, Willy Pete doesn't really "Melt Equipment"; that'd be more like Thermite and the more common subtype used by the military, Thermate. Though that doesn't "really" melt equipment either: its more the grenade and its contents themselves melt... Their ignition causes an m intense chemical reaction which turns the powder/filling of Thermite into white hot molten Iron slag, which then cools and effectively welds everything together. That's why you put them on gun breeches and engines to deny the enemy any use of your vehicles and large caliber weapons in the event you're forced to abandon them. For instance say a platoon of tanks is REALLY unfortunate and gets itself cutoff from the rest of the unit and is unable to break back through enemy lines (Say, in a peer-on-peer war). Eventually their fuel runs out after however long and their APUs sputter out, dry too and killing any electronic control of the turret, cannon & coax weapons, imaging cameras at night, etc. And on a portable radio they're ordered to just ditch and spike the tanks, and proceed to X Coordinates by 0000hrs for a SAR bird to hurry there and back". They're gonna place 1 grenade on/in the engine, and the other right on the main cannons breach of EACH tank. Now they could capture 100's of them, but the fact that every single breech and engine is welded together means you camt jusy swap some parts between tanks and get themselves a working tank. But yeah, Toss one of those into a comms truck or command tent though, she'll probably still get the job done. Though WP's probably gonna be better for burning a building, tent, classified books and dossier files etc; it's not hot enough to melt metal really, but burns a lot longer so is more guaranteed to actually catch OTHER things on fire. Willy Pete on the other hand is kinda similar, but also VERY different. White Phosphorus is pyrophoric meaning it ignites and burns on contact with air, and creates tons of smoke very quickly. So WP while not as common in grenades anymore where they're almost all HC and you gotta wait for them to bloom before they create an effective screen, WP are still pretty common as mortar and artillery rounds however, especially when rapid screening is required. But... DON'T. GET. HIT. In AIR it burns, In WATER it burns, and IN YOU it burns. Willy Pete won't really "light you on fire", but that fragmentation hitting you? Will burn... And Burn, AND BURN... a pit in your skin ALL the way to AND THROUGH your bone. That's why if your buddy gets hit with Willie Pete, as cruel and inhumane as it might soumd; You HOLD HIM DOWN, AND CUT *ALL* THAT SHIT OUT. As long as it exists and hasn't burned ALL of itself up, it will KEEP burning until it does so... I do love the Marines though, and offer a salute o7 to their "Shake N" Bake" tactic. Using Incendiary weapons which is one of many categories WP falls into; is against the Geneva convention if used on or near civilians. HOWEVER, using it for "Smoke Screening" is completely legal still. So the Marines just happen to call their smoke in right where the bad guys are dug in, and once they start coughing from the Phosphorus smoke and feel it burning in their lungs and throat (Not literally, but as in its irritating their airways; perhaps like a mild tear gas? Idk, I have never tried to gas myself. Especially with something as toxic as WP (If you want nightmares, besides googling White Phosphorus wounds, also look up Phossy Jaw) Anyways, so they're coughing and the panicing a bit which causes mosr of them to break cover and run for it trying to scramble to somewhere else RIGHT in time to receive the second barrage from the USMC, sending their regards, along with alotta HE, and wishing them the best...😂
@@pyro1047 Yeah as far as I know We Were Soldiers is the only place that shows an actual WP Grenade and I agree WP is the stuff of nightmares for me because it just does not stop burning... IF you get hit with that shit then yes the only way you will survive is basically what you said HOLD HIM DOWN and CUT IT OUT of him... while the poor SOB will be screaming his lungs out all the way... As far as Shake N" Bake is concerned trust me you can really get fucked up by that "Smoke Screen" WP ....
Joe Galloway had honestly as important of a role in this battle as any of the other soldiers. We need a civilian’s perspective on the battlefield to show the people back home why war is never, NEVER the answer.
In some cases war is the only answer however Vietnam was not one of those cases. It was a purely civil war caused by divisions within after the Vietnamese people had successfully rebelled against their French colonial masters exploited by both the Chinese communist government and the American government to fight a "low cost" proxy war. The south Vietnamese were largely controlled by the corrupt former burocrats who worked for the French while the NVA was a true grass roots force supplied and trained by Chinese advisors. Had it not been for the Chinese involvement and Americas obsession with fighting communism America could well have found itself supporting the other side. That's what the author hinted at when he said it was a war the Americans never understood. America and the west in general turned a blind eye to far too many of their " allies" crimes and brutality in order to oppose the red menace.
Unfortunately unless you are prepared to allow aggressors to take your land and rule over you, you have to defend yourself. Wars have been fought since the beginning of human history, this is how the countries we have now were formed. We've had relative peace in the West since the devastation of WWII, but now malevolent forces are working to destabilise that peace.
Alot of moments and scenes are tear jerkers, but that one line when Gibson said, "I dont know if I'll forgive myself....that my men died, and I didn't." Still hits hard
You have to see the 2 movies directed by Clint Eastwood about the battle of Iwo Jima: Flag Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, movies that Clint filmed one after the other, both came out in 2006, Flag Of Our Fathers narrates the US side of the conflict and Letters From Iwo Jima shows the Japanese side, that last movie I think is the best of the two, and was nominated for awards.
I'm so glad you watched this movie, it's one of my favorites! I don't watch it often because i usually cry through the entire movie. As a military brat, it's so nostalgic with the living on base and living through my mom and my sisters and I waiting and hoping that Dad came back safely from his deployment. I love that they took the time and showed what the families at home were going through. If you're a reader the book is excellent. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it and that you noticed all the little details that mean so much and make this movie so excellent.
To answer you questions on the history of Bugels on the battlefield, Musical instruments were used for a long time as means of conveying orders. They had a much better time of cutting through the noise of battle than the human voice did and you'd use specific tunes or drum rhythms to give orders and messages.
The skin coming off with boots did happens for real as did basically everything in the movie. Listening to Joe Galloway relive that is haunting. That man can still see it, hear it, smell It, and feel the bones in his hands.
That is the General Electric M134 Minigun. It fires standard NATO 7.62mm x 51mm FMJ rifle rounds at a variable rate of 2,000-6,000 rounds per min. When equipped on the AC-47 it was known in vietnam as "Puff the magic dragon" as it breathed fire and turned anything in its crosshairs to a red smoke/mist... a.k.a. "The only thing that scared the VC". It's slightly older cousin which was much heavier was used in many fighter aircraft was the M61 Vulcan which fired the 20mm x 102mm round at 6,000+/min. That later lead to the GAU/8 Avenger which is the 30mm x 173mm that gives the A-10 its BRRRRRRP.
My great uncle was a pilot for the First Cavalry and he showed me this movie when I was young, thank you for the reaction fellas. Btw he said the men sat on their helmets because bullets went through the heli like butter
When this movie came a co-worker who was in Nam when this movie was set said it was the most accurate war movie to what actually happened over there at that time.
This movie always lives me in tears. I don’t care how you feel about your government but you have to respect any man willing to fight and die for his country. It takes balls to willingly put yourself in danger. I will always respect any soldier until he gives a reason not to
One thing that I appreciate about this movie (and that makes it unique as far as American made Vietnam War films), is that it spends a fair amount of time humanizing the NVA as well. The fact we see the battle from the North Vietnamese perspective (and especially their commander's perspective) is a great touch. The aftermath scene where the commander takes the American flag down and gives a short speech to his subordinate about how this battle is just beginning but "the end will be the same" apart from how many on his side will die to get there is extremely poetic and it foreshadows how ultimately the US continuing to invest so many of its own soldiers lives into this conflict didn't ultimately lead to the result it wanted.
@@alexto137 Based on my own experiences (anecdotal for sure) as an American, I think I've never heard anyone (left, right, center etc.) outright defend America's involvement in Vietnam. There's nuances within the perspectives I've heard and differences of course between different people on different aspects of the war, but as far as the war itself, there's pretty universal agreement that we f'd up big time by getting involved.
@@seanbinkley7363i've lkterally heard rightwingers abd reliblcians say they shoudln't have left nd that the liberal pansies betrayed rhe war effort I have seen them have rhe same reaction to the pukk out of Afghanistan
This movie and saving private Ryan should be shown in every school so kids can learn what what family an compassion means and also what it took for our freedom.
One of the best Vietnam war movies ever made in my opinion, gets into the emotional and the loss and the true carnage of what war is and can be. From the portrayal of Moore by Mel Gibson if it was even in the same ballpark I could see why his men would follow such a leader through the gates of hell itself. We need more leaders in our military with the tactical mind and the that cares about his men to where they are not considered expendable cannon fodder on the battlefield. Also depicted the heroism of those air cav chopper pilots that did so much entering that hot LZ to bring in troops, supplies and take out the wounded. This movie played a lot to the respect those men so rightly deserve. I have seen the movie but not read the book and usually the book is always better than the movie. I need to rectify that and order a copy of the book.
As a medically retired, disabled OIF/OEF combat veteran I can say this - Right before you know you're about to engage an enemy for the first time your mind is racing with thoughts of exactly what you'd expect. At least it was for me. Thoughts of home, thoughts of anything but what you're about to do - and then it is quickly followed up with EXACTLY what you're about to do. When you do make contact though, it all goes away and you can't help but focus on the fight and the people standing beside you. That's exactly why so many people struggle with it afterward, because you don't have time to process it all until you have downtime. That's why training is so important; it's what you default to when you don't have time to think. It is quite literally the only thing that keeps you alive. Thank you for doing this video, I will parrot what another veteran said earlier in this comment thread. You should really look at the series Band of Brothers.
The first part of this was filmed in Fort Benning Ga. It was renamed after Gen Moore and is now called Fort Moore. The 2nd half was filmed at Hunter-Leggatt Ca.
I remember the war. I was young, but we had bracelets that had the number of POWs and we wrote letters to their families at school. I work for a vet who was a nurse (male) in Vietnam. This is one of his favorite movies. He worked on the planes that flew in and dead dropped to pick up injured. They picked everyone alive up, regardless of what side they were on, including civilians. There were at least 20 minutes, often much longer, from any doctors and they held those boys together as best they could. He lives with the side effects of the Agent Orange and suffers with what they call Sundowners Syndrome. I have so much respect for this man. My father was a Korean war veteran but rarely talked about it. So much respect for all of our troops. And yes, regardless of "sides" they are all someone's son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister. If only the leaders would have a duel with each other and keep their citizens out of it. I bet there would be much less war. Also, I know Mel Gibson can be a hot button for people, myself included, but he is an amazing actor and always comes through in these kind of roles. Enjoyed your disscussion, ✌💖😀
We Were Soldiers was filmed at a military base, Fort Hunter Liggett, CA near my neck of the woods. The trees used for the production of this film, excluding the native oak chaparral vegetation, were sycamore saplings I believe and the surviving saplings were later sold off. My dad bought 4-5 of those saplings but only 1 survives today. As a local, I know more trivia but I'll let those interested in the history of the production of this film to be researched on their own.
This was so hard to get through.. My grandfather is on The Wall, killed late in the war (06/29/1972.) He was a Forward Air Controller flying for the 20th TASS (Tactical Air Support Squadron) out of Da Nang. He is credited with saving 51 men in a span of 20 minutes. 50 on the ground and his backseater. This war has effected my family in almost every way possible. This movie has honored men who fought and died in that war more than any other. If I ever have the privilege of meeting either of you two, or anyone involved with the movie, I would express my profound appreciation. This was hard to get through, but thank you for going through it with me.
Listening to countless Vietnam veterans interviews most have mentioned this as being the only movie to portray it as what it was. It wasn’t all fragging their officers they didn’t like, smoking pot and doing drugs, drafting men wasn’t as common as we think a lot of men actually volunteered.
One of the greatest war movies ever if you ask me. If you like the movie. Then i recommend Ken Burns documentary series about the Vietnam war, we get to hear from Hal Moore and from Joe Galloway telling the real story. (He breaks down in tears talking about the trooper with the napalm burn)
Bugles have been used for battlefield communication for centuries. Different "tunes" meant different things. Charge Advance Retreat et cetera Bugle calls were even used on military bases and outposts. For instance, "Tattoo" was played at night and was originally played to let the bartenders in the clubs on base know to "turn the taps to" {off} and stop serving for the night. "Taps to" became "Tattoo".
They recently renamed Fort Benning, Georgia (Home of the Infantry) Fort Moore (after Lieutenant General Hal Moore and his wife Julia. (Gibson and Madeline Stowe)
Well, Colonel Morre is a) a Battalion Commander and b) there is literally no place he can be in that valley where he would not get involved in fighting. His opponent is a divisional commander, e.g. a general. THose guys are not supposed to be fighting, they got the bigger picture to take care of.
My dad was a crew chief in Vietnam on a Huey. He actually flew over the actual battlefield about 1 year after this battle. LTG Hal Moore and SGM Plumley are legends, to say the least!
What I can appreciate about the scene with the NVA platoon moving in on the cutoff platoons position in the pitch dark. Is the sound of the heavy shaking breathing from one of the soldiers. It goes to show they were just as scared as our soldiers were.
In college, I did a project and used this book as my basis. Galloway and Hal Moore wrote it together and the Vietnamese general Nguyen and Moore met each other after the war to speak and reconcile. Vietnam was the U.S.’ great mistake, and our reconciliation with Vietnam has been one of our best.
The reason there is so much focus on Snake and Too Tall is that both pilots volunteered to go in over and over again, even after X-Ray was closed and other crews were grounded. Both of them knew the dangers and yet went anyways. Without their contributions, the 7th would have probably ran out of supplies, men wouldn’t have received fast treatment, and the entire operation would have ended far differently. For their actions both pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor. I’ve seen an interview with the real reporter, Joseph Galloway, and the scene where the young soldier, Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama, actually happened in the way depicted…. Down to the meat being pulled from the bones when he attempted to assist. In the interview with Joseph, you can see that 1,000 yard stare as tears came down. He talked about all of the faces that were burnt into his mind from that horrific battle and you could tell that he carried that with him until he died in 2021. Jimmy Nakayama did survive initially, but would die a few days later while receiving care for his wounds. Joseph Galloway would become the only civilian to be awarded the Bronze Star during the war. Additional Sgt Savage would receive the Distinguished Service Cross (the second highest distinction below the Medal of Honor) for his actions on the battlefield. John Lance "Jack" Geoghegan would be posthumously awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Air Medal. He would die from the wounds sustained trying to save the man who he assisted in the movie by looking at his foot, Specialist Godbolt. Their names are next to each other on the Vietnam Wall Memorial.
This movie is underrated. It was released at a time when war movies were experiencing a resurgence thanks to the success of Saving Private Ryan. In 2002, it was starting to fade, and audiences were tiring of them. Another underrated gem released that same year was Windtalkers. Worth checking out.
A lot of people tend to hate on war movies that mel Gibson does because of the exaggerations, but the one thing he always does well is portray the emotion and carnage of wartime.
Yall have earned a lifelong fan in me. Mad respect for your vulnerability in showing your emotions to the world. Secondly when yall said regardless of your dislike of Gibson, you respect his performance in this film. Takes a big man to be able to give kudos to someone they don’t agree with on many things 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The patches on the right sleeve indicate service in combat with that particular unit. The patch on the left sleeve is the unit they are currently assigned to.
This is my favorite true events war movie of all time. The portray of what everyone has to go through is so visceral and palatable. My high school history teacher was a Vietnam helicopter pilot and broke down one day in class. Telling us about the screams, blood, body parts and friends crying and dying for their comrades. Needless to say we didn't get any work done that day. He had to take a break by his desk for that period and we all understood and were quietly talking amongst ourselves to give him space.
You know the scene during the opening, where the bugler is shot in the neck. And at the end he is executed by rhe NVA. That soldier was played by the directors son. Whom was so disturbed by the sight of his son being “executed” in such a brutal manner, he had to walk off set for a moment.
One of things I always loved about this movie was it showing the battle at home. My first husband was infantry deployed to Iraq back in 2005 and 2009. Although we knew the Army had come a long way from telegrams, it was always in the back of every wife's mind that any one of us could get a chaplain and a counselor knocking on our door at any time. Heartbreaking as it was to watch in the movie, it was nice to see that stress and struggle recognized.
1:38:53 Adapt or die. I don't know if yall mentioned this.... but that charge he led towards the enemy camp...was in a way.. just like Custer's charge and you see Gibson's eyes widen as he realizes the situation while running up that hill....a great moment. And then the cavalry.... saves their butts.
So, my dad was a Force Recon Marine from 1959-1970. He did 4 combat tours in Vietnam: '65, '66, '68, & '69. He was attached to MACV-SOG, and almost all of his unit's records were lost in a fire at the records warehouse in the 1970s. I didn't learn must about his service until after he died in '87 a couple months after I turned 11. Then I was suddenly trying to drink from a fire hose of information. Long story short, my old man was practically Captain America. He was also a hardcore student of military history, and he described Col. Moore to me as "Just about as good a combat tactician as there was in the war." My dad always talked about how incredibly tough, smart, and valiant the NVA and VC soldiers were.
The purpose of the troops shooting as they get off the chopper is this: the helicopters (lifeblood of refreshing troops and supplies to the battlefield) are most exposed when sitting still, as they unload and as they begin to fly out. The men provide suppressive fire to keep any enemy heads down, as the troops disembark. That way, you can minimize potential mass casualty coalescense, right as they get off.
1:00:00 I highly recommend watching a video of the real Joseph L. Galloway talking about this moment during the battle. They shot this scene EXACTLY the way Joe described it... heartbreaking seeing him break down while talking about it. A sight like that would DEFINITELY haunt me for the rest of my life...
My Father was there and received the Bronze Star with SGM Plumley and many others in this and the subsequent battles. He never spoke of it. I found the original Bronze Star orders and a Thanksgiving Day menu that took place just 2+ weeks later in An Khe. I was one of those little kids in p.j.s at Fort Benning in 1965. This movie touched me personally more than any movie I've ever seen and i pieced it together while seeing it at the movie theater. I miss my Pops. He's been gone since 1988 despite surviving WW2, Korea and Vietnam. Yet again, he never said a word.
My ex husband deployed 3 times to iraq at the height of the war the last thing i would say was " No medals, No flags" meaning dont do anything crazy to get medals cause back then you got those for really bad shit and of course no flag meaning i didn't want to be given a flag over his grave. Now thats what i say to my son. I spent years volunteering with Army wife organizations that Mrs. Moore helped found.
Before the gun was invented, battles were fought with sticks, rocks, sharp rocks, and sharpened steel. Before guns, battles were a hand to hand up and close personal fight. When the battle was over and you were lucky to walk away, you walked away covered in blood.
Great movie 4 stars. When the officers leave in the middle of the night. And when the wounded soldiers return to the states and no one greets them in the airport, won’t ever not hit me hard.
The Film hit me everytime. Specially the Extendet Version gives it even more depth. And with some Historuc Context it hits even ahrder, because what Hal Moore said on Day2 about Replacement of the Troops would lead to slaughter, became true. The Unit that took the place of the 7 Kav. got slaughtert by the Vietcon Div. two Weeks later. The Vietnam War is the best Exaplme for a Local War where Great Powers try too interfere, the US should have never entered this War. To end with something positiv, i feel hope for humanity when i see that People like Hal Moore ecxist, if there are more People like him the World would be a more peaceful Place too live.
12:42 yes, for big Army, the M16 rifles (designated the XM16E1) were brand new rifles at the time. DARPA and Green Berets were conducting field trials of the rifle as early as 1961. By the time of this battle in 1965, the M16 had been officially adopted. As brand new rifles, they performed very well in the field. In fact, Col. Moore himself said one of the reasons they were able to survive was because they were using the M16. The US hadn’t been in heavy combat yet in Vietnam and many of the teething troubles the M16 faced hadn’t been experienced yet.
The final charge did not happen, Another battalion from 7th Calvary was helicoptered in an they marched in to relieve them. Unfortunately they were ambushed at their LZ (LZ Albany) and they took more KIA than Moore’s battalion. We started the body count strategy and ten years later we lost the war
Barry Peppers character received a Bronze Star with a "V" (for Valor) in this battle for carrying a wounded soldier to a helicopter. He was the only civilian from the war to receive one I believe.
Instruments in Wartime (Drums, Bugle, etc...) were used to command troop movements. The human voice isn't loud enough to cover a battlefield so they would use instruments to signal charge, retreat, flank, Artillery, Calvery, etc..
My uncle fought with Colonel Moore at Ia Drang. He never would talk about it until just before he died. As family of those who went through this, I thank you for watching this. As a Vet myself, thank you for remembering those who went before.
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i seen it in theater back in 2002
do a review on gettybury 1993
Can you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch Good Morning Vietnam with Robin Williams. PLEEEEASE!?
You missed FREDDIE PRINCE JR in the prologue he was married to Buffy the vampire slayer. He was in the Scooby doo movie's as fred
May I suggest reacting to TO HELL AND BACK THE AUDIE MURPHY STORY. Audie was the most decorated American soldier of WW2 after the war he became a Hollywood actor making loads of westerns but he also got the part of himself in TO HELL AND BACK. So it's actually Audie Murphy playing Audie Murphy and that's why it's my favourite war movie 👍
Critics panned this movie when it came out, criticizing for its “cheap and cheesy” dialogue. The real Hal Moore came forward and publicly apologized that his men lacked creativity and originality during their final moments.
That got the critics to shut up.
Delivered like a true American. No bull.
@@ScarriorIIIhehehe a BOSS! LOL
The media are a bunch of A**holes. Through and through.
And the truth is that Henry Herrick said exactly those words.... I'm glad I could die for my country. And Carl Palmer one day before his 40th birthday who prophesized his death at X_Ray to Galen Bungham....tell my wife I love her.
Hal Moore's response was perfect. War is delightful to those who have no experience of it
@@adamr6794 True. Only people who would consider war exciting are people not experienced it. Only one's who seek to use war to advance their benefit are people who do not risk themselves and send others to die for their ambition.
I am a 74 year old Vietnam vet and Army retiree. This film always hits me hard. I ask you to please see a film that Gibson directed (but did not star in), Hacksaw Ridge. It is the story of Desmond Doss, a pacifist who served with distinction as a medical corpsman during World War II. Like this film, it is a true story of incredible heroism and is every bit as outstanding as this film.
Absolutely!!! Amazing movie and Garfield was a force of nature in that role
My Uncle and father-in-law were Vietnam vets... thank you for your service. You deserve better than how our country treated veterans during that time. You are truly the heroes!
Thank you for your service sir. We’re forever grateful
"It is the story of Desmond Doss" No, its the ridiculous retelling of Desmond Doss full of typical Mel Gibson garbage. The exact garbage that Doss feared would be put into any movie made about him which is why he refused to cooperate with any director while he was alive. He somehow managed to exaggerate all of the events that happened around Doss, while also underplaying and excluding many of his very real feats. Its a fucking insulting movie if you have done even a bit of reading into the actual battle or the man himself.
Portraying Doss as a hated greenhorn at that point in the war is beyond fucking stupid, he was already a veteran of several battles and well respected by the men he served with by that point. And that is only the tip of the iceberg for the stupidity of that movie.
@Nyx_2142 wouldn't say it's an "insulting" movie. Yes by the time of the Maeda (Hacksaw Ridge) in 1945, Doss had already seen action in Guam and Phillipines during 1944, which he was awarded for. But he did go through suspicion, rejection and criticism for his beliefs at the beginning of his military career. So for me, I feel that Mel Gibson is blending two important aspects of Doss's life story into one film, with a little creative lisence in terms chronology. The biggest exaggeration of the film though is the size of the cliff - the Maeda was certainly not as high as the movie attempts to portray it, but again I feel like it was Gibson's way of emphasising Dos's efforts and the scale of the task his unit had to undertake.
Hacksaw Ridge is by no means a perfect war movie, and has taken creative licence towards some of the factual aspects, but it's by no means an "insulting" movie.
As a 39 yr old OIF injured/Medically retired 82nd/XVIII Airborne Army Ranger. I appreciate you covering this. I doubt the channel would ever do ‘Band of Brothers’ but it’s amazing and you should watch it on your own time. 🫡
Agreed great series
I absolutely love Band of Brothers❤❤
I watched Band of Brothers. Oh God i cried like a baby with my boyfriend he cries so much too. ❤
Band of brother's, the pacific and generation kill are all great war series
Thank you for your service ✌💖😀
This movie is so thought provoking. My dad is a Vietnam vet, but he never talked about anything from the war when I was growing up. Even when we watched other war movies, he never flinched. He had this almost haunted look to his eyes sometimes, but he never flinched. However, while watching this one, he broke down and cried like a baby. Afterwards, he said that fighting in the war was much worse than portrayed, but that it was closer to realism than any of the other movies had come so far. I can't even imagine silently carrying all that trauma around for decades without complaint for the sake of his wife and kids. My old man is one of the toughest men I've ever known! I have nothing but respect for the men of our military.
Amen! And God bless your father and all those who have served.
My uncle is the same. My mum says he was a very different man before the war. I can’t even imagine.
Please tell your pop thank you for his service 🥰
What about the innocent people from Vietnam? Millions died because of your military.
The same can be said of the military of every single nation in the entirety of history. War is horrendous no matter which side you're on. Everyone suffers ... except the fat cat politicians and leaders who get rich off it.
I was lucky enough to be an extra in this film! My Buddy was in the California national guard, and I was active duty army at the time. He told me about the shoot, and I joined the unit that played 1-7 Cav in Fort Hunter-Liggett. Two years later, I participated in the invasion of Iraq.
Full circle, 25 years and a bunch of deployments in the army later, I’m a military technical advisor in Hollywood and I’ve worked on some amazing films.
This film was truly a special project to work on. Especially since I’ve done so much training at Fort Hunter-Liggett since then.
I’m glad you viewed this film. They do a much better job showing the home front and the contrast with the battlefield than most other films.
Thanks for your perspective. Pass it on.
I was an extra on that too! Only did the "Garry Owen" scene where they ran down the hill to the choppers. Was supposed to be in the "lost platoon", but some unit from Ft. Lewis was down doing training, so they got to do that.
You were active down there.... Camp Bob?
@@davidsizemore5642 I was in the 2ID on leave at the time.
@@MzQTMcHotness Ah. Tracking.
The scene with the cab driver is the one that hurts the most everytime i watch this movie. Wearing the army jacket you can assume he is a veteran too. He knows what he has. That poor guy
After the war General Moore worked on cleaning up the drug abuse problem and racial strife that were prevalent at the time in the 7th Division. His plan established Officer's Leadership Schools for company-grade officers and an NCO Leadership School for staff sergeants and below as well as issuing an "Equal Opportunity Policy". He backed up the policy with the promise to punish those leaders who discriminated based on race, ethnicity or creed. As a part of the reformation of division morale, he established several different athletic programs, including football, basketball, and boxing.
The 7th was his Regiment. The Airborne Division above him was the 101st, of Band of Brothers fame. They fly in helicopters to this day, while the 82nd Airborne continues to deploy via parachutes.
@@Ryan_Christopher If I'm not mistaken, 1-7CAV fell under 1st Cav (Airmobile), not the 101ABN (AAST). the 101ABN cav unit was Troop D, 3d Sqdn, 5th Cav
@@Ryan_Christopher After the war, he transferred to the 7th ID, with which he had previously served. Notice that he wears a 7th ID patch on his right shoulder throughout the movie. At the beginning of the movie he has 11th Abn on his left shoulder, then during training they all are wearing 2nd ID. During Vietnam, both 101st Abn _AND_ 1st Air Cav were Air Assault.
@@Ryan_Christopher 1-7 was in 1st cav division during vietnam and still is in the 1st cav division it was never in the 101st
When Joe is doing the narration at the beginning about the Ia Drang Valley and he says the North Vietnamese soldiers that "died by our hands", he is being literal. He really did put down his camera and grabbed a rifle to defend the wounded soldiers in the medical area when the NVA overran the position.
Joe and Hal Moore were life-long friends after the battle.
They also went back to the site of battle after the war and met face to face with the enemy commander. True warriors that fought for their country without hating the opposition
He and his wife, Julia, were instrumental in putting together a proper and official notification system for military casualties. Especially his wife, for obvious reasons. Others have elaborated on what Hal Moore himself did for his troops. Fort Moore, Home of the Infantry, has a name that it can wear with pride.
Thank you for reacting to this. My grandpa was a helicopter pilot in the battle of Ia Drang (this battle) and received a bronze star for his actions.
So the guy who was on the radio talking to the aircraft is a specialist who's essentially a combination Forward Observer and Air Traffic Controller. Its one of the most demanding positions in the military, as you're required to both provide targeting information, making sure all the bombs are hitting the appropriate targets, AND directing and coordinating the aircraft so that they don't run into each other or anything like that.
I was a Forward Observer when I was in the military and received some EXTREMELY light cross training on the subject, and its absolutely insane the amount of mental effort required to juggle all those moving pieces. Hes coordinating the planes, making sure they're not running into artillery, providing bombing target information, while under extremely heavy fire, as well as being fully aware that his performance could be directly responsible for the outcome of the entire battle. Absolutely legendary men, and an absolutely legendary performance in this particular battle.
My grandfather was a Forward Air Controller in 1972. He was a bit north in Da Nang. Such a difficult job.
Was he at Dong Ha?
My step dad worked with marine fo,s.
@@jakeb7087
My uncle is a Vietnam veteran. Was under Moore and in that conflict. He didn't speak much about it other than Lt. Gen Moore a great leader and trained us well.
🫡 💜 🇺🇸
Bruh@@acdragonrider
Much love and respect to your uncle and your family all veterans will always hold a very special place in my heart thank you all veterans 🫡🫡
Hal and Julie Moore were so influential to the development of the Army's family support structure that they renamed Fort Benning in Georgia in their honor. Fort Moore is the home of the infantry for the U.S. Army
Hal Moore was pure infantry as well, graduated near the bottom of his West Point class but managed to get an infantry posting and threw himself into it. Whatever people think about renaming stuff, that is one I think we can all get behind.
I ADORE the shot of Mel Gibson marching off the first time. We've seen him as a father figure; he puts that helmet on and he's a Soldier. Excellent visual storytelling. Also, they toned down how bad Jimmy Nakayama was burnt; in an interview Galloway explained that when he picked him up, he could feel his ankle bones crumbling.
49:13 “It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it.”
- Robert E. Lee.
Sgt. Major Plumley might be the most "we gotta water this down or people will think we are exaggerating" human beings to ever draw a breath.
I got an Uncle who was at Fort Benning when Sgt Maj Plummey was there, he told me Sam Elliott got him down to a T.
Plumbey was in a club rarer then the MOH being a 3 war combat vet
@@matthewperry9183 Not really it wasn't uncommon at the beginning of Vietnam. For the higher brass. For instance the Pilot of the F100 that pulled off on the Attack run that took out the PVT was LtCol Harold Comstock a 2xFighter Ace from WWII who also fought in Vietnam.
@DevinEMILE I'm referring to 3 CIB only 325 solders have that
A couple years ago, I met with one of the survivors of the "Lost Platoon". Sgt. Savage wasn't the highest-ranking NCO left, he took command because he was the closest to the radio. The gentleman talked about how the Load Bearing Equipment was set up with dual canteens on their back sides. This meant that when they tried to get a drink later in the night, all their canteens were empty due to being hit by bullets. If a soldier raised above the ground by more than 10-12 inches, they were hit by rounds. The survivors of the Lost Platoon were placed on the line as reinforcements. Colonel Moore thought he was placing them in a quiet section of the line, but of course it was the section the enemy attacked right away. It was a constant chess game of move and react. Per the survivor, the only reason they made it through was Colonel Moore, Snake and the helicopters flying in and out, the officers and NCOS, their training, along with artillery and air to ground attacks by planes and helicopters.
Wow.
If I remember correctly Snakeshit and his guys were crash landing back at base left right and center. Crandall himself had something like 14 crash landings in this engagement
Great reaction. My dad served in Vietnam. A war that was hated. Think about it, WW1 They came back as celebrated heros, WW2 The American troops really came back as heros. The Korean war. They were celebrated. But the Vietnam war. Which was not a win. And our soldiers returned home as villians, being spit on and called baby killers. There was no parade or celebration for them. Just PTSD, missing limbs and no real help returning back to civilian life. Very sad. The Vietnam war will always be near and dear to me.
Guys, my father participated in this battle. He came in the second wave of choppers. He ended up doing a tour and a half due to clerical errors. Came home with a purple heart and several other medals, including a commendation for the most jumps in his unit. And i couldn't get him to watch this movie.
🫡 💜 🇺🇸
But he already did..Bless him.🫡🇺🇸
My Dad only said he was in the Airborne. It was only 40 years later, a vet looked at his old photo as said "damn, that's a Master Parachutist Badge"..
@@Alvan81 ... Yeah, I don't blame the man, he already saw it.
Prayers for your Father from a current Army Chaplain. ❤️
FYI, the real cornel Moore was actually heavily involved in the production to get the best accurate depiction of the war from his part so mell Gibson could be as accurate as possible playing him
You mean Lieutenant General Hal Moore. He retired at that rank.
@@adambydand1214 I'm referring to how they said his name in an interview talking about the movie and how heavily he was involved in making it accurate as possible
The person in the cover of Life magazine and on the cover of this book became a VP of Cantor Fitzgerald in NYC. He lost his life at the World Trade Center on 9/11 after telling all his employees to leave, and then he went around the rest of the offices to tell them to leave. He was still in the building when it collapsed.
Rick Rescorla was a helluva guy.
He went back up those stairs singing welsh and never losing spirit.
A true hero.
@@dragonfly2936 thanks, I could not remember his name, and did not have book near to refer to it.
That one scene with the guy’s legs after the napalm (if you’ve watched the movie, you know which scene I mean), still haunts me to this day
Yes
The most memorable scene from this entire movie all these years later still
Yup an the white phosphorus grenade hit as well
For real!!
Army Lt. Jimmy Nakayama did not survive his injuries. He died two days later from his wounds, never being able to see his newly born child in this world.
Truly one of the most underrated war films.
Saw it in theaters with my dad and my cousin.
Of course. This is a horrible movie. It's only propaganda. The real heroes were the innocent vietnamese people.
So many young men came back messed up...my son's father was a Vietnam veteran, and he had flashbacks up to the day he died in 1985. It was on that day he finally found peace.
Your son's father? How does that work?
@@adamr6794 we weren't married, so I can't call him my husband, but he is still my son's father. Too old to use the term "baby daddy" authentically, lol.
I'm an Army Vet from OIF and still in the reserve. This movie has a special port in my heart as it classifies what humanity should be. the internal conflict. The connectivity we have with our "brothers/sisters" in arms. Love you both!
Considering some of the historical reactions that have been on this channel, I thank you John and you Andrew for do proper service to a movie such as this. the respect you showed the men, while still talking and enjoying the movie aspects of it, is how a true reaction should be, not one of jokes and laughter and satire, but one of respect and commendation.
This is one of the best reactions this channel has ever done, and when it comes to historical movies, I hope and beg that it is you two for the majority of historical reactions, for you two are 100% pure class.
French Indo China was part of the French colonial empire that sought independence after WW II. The French were soundly defeated in 1954 at the battle of Dien Bien Phu (presumably depicted in the opening scenes of the movie). Communism was expanding rapidly throughout the world after WW II and the US sought to stop its progress. Known as the "domino effect" the US feared the takeover of countries one by one in Asia. After the defeat in 1954 France pulled out of the region. President Eisenhower, concerned about Viet Nam's takeover, sent a small core of military advisors to assist in the fight for dominance. This began the US involvement in the country which did not end until 1974 and 58,000 fatal casualties.
The opening scene with the French Mobile Group 100 happened at the Mang Yang Pass between Pleiku and An Khe and not at Dien Bien Phu. The French lost around 2000 men and all were buried at the top of the pass with all the graves facing France. I've been there.
Intrestingly: Ho Chi Minh first sought U.S. help to gain Vietnamese independence against France. U.S. didn't want to oppose France and DeGaulle, so they rejected. Soviet Union was willing to give weapons and training as long Ho Chi Minh would accept communism... Rest is history...
@@thejamppa More precisely, the US wanted the French to join NATO so didn't oppose DeGaulle's insistence on reclaiming its former colonies, though they didn't publicly agree or approve of that. That left Ho Chi Min, who fought with the Americans against the Japanese, only one place to go for help.
Why should US worry about what happens 10km far away? Vietnam people were the victims and US were the invasors and terrorists.
I spent my entire adult life in the military. I have been in combat, I have seen the worst of people....but also the best. War is Hell. The war at home is the unimaginable hell. This film does an amazing job letting you FEEL both. From both sides of a conflict.
1:15:39 one of the many reasons this war was so bloody is that American would take a hill or region from the NVA then “clean it up” then they would literally leave the hill/region they just captured to go fight for another and the NVA would just go back after the Americans left and refortify it and rinse and repeat. Theres horror stories of soldiers saying the fought to take a hill and months later would have to do it again. Was just a meat grinder.
One of the most powerful movies ever. The ending floors me. Mel looking over the horizon seeing hundreds of other hell holes they'd fight for like they just did. Must been awfully sobering and scary.
In Ken Burns documentary on the war, an elderly Joe Galloway is seen on camera describing PFC Nakayama’s burns and how is skin literally sloughed off his bones after the friendly fire napalm strike. It really happened. Absolutely haunting stuff.
Trumpets, how you send messages before radios. The emblem on Col. Moore's helmet are leaves, oak leaves.
The aircraft were evolving at a high rate. The prop driven plane was the forerunner of the A10 Warthog as far as protecting ground troops.
This was on TV every night. We waited for the news to see what happened that day. You are correct, information was now being delivered like never before.
The story, Joe Galloway tells the Colonel about his Great Grandfathers buying shoes in Galveston was true.
I did 2 tours in Iraq in the infantry, in 2003/2004. This was the movie that we watched to motivate us before we left. To answer a couple questions, white phosphorus (willy peat) is usually used to melt equipment, but can be used against people. Also a m60/240 gunner has an assistant gunner and an ammo bearer as a gun team. Always remember, "The soldier, above all others prays for peace". A quote from General Douglas MacArthur. Love the channel and the reactions.
Depends, Willy Pete doesn't really "Melt Equipment"; that'd be more like Thermite and the more common subtype used by the military, Thermate. Though that doesn't "really" melt equipment either: its more the grenade and its contents themselves melt... Their ignition causes an m intense chemical reaction which turns the powder/filling of Thermite into white hot molten Iron slag, which then cools and effectively welds everything together. That's why you put them on gun breeches and engines to deny the enemy any use of your vehicles and large caliber weapons in the event you're forced to abandon them.
For instance say a platoon of tanks is REALLY unfortunate and gets itself cutoff from the rest of the unit and is unable to break back through enemy lines (Say, in a peer-on-peer war). Eventually their fuel runs out after however long and their APUs sputter out, dry too and killing any electronic control of the turret, cannon & coax weapons, imaging cameras at night, etc. And on a portable radio they're ordered to just ditch and spike the tanks, and proceed to X Coordinates by 0000hrs for a SAR bird to hurry there and back". They're gonna place 1 grenade on/in the engine, and the other right on the main cannons breach of EACH tank. Now they could capture 100's of them, but the fact that every single breech and engine is welded together means you camt jusy swap some parts between tanks and get themselves a working tank.
But yeah, Toss one of those into a comms truck or command tent though, she'll probably still get the job done. Though WP's probably gonna be better for burning a building, tent, classified books and dossier files etc; it's not hot enough to melt metal really, but burns a lot longer so is more guaranteed to actually catch OTHER things on fire.
Willy Pete on the other hand is kinda similar, but also VERY different. White Phosphorus is pyrophoric meaning it ignites and burns on contact with air, and creates tons of smoke very quickly. So WP while not as common in grenades anymore where they're almost all HC and you gotta wait for them to bloom before they create an effective screen, WP are still pretty common as mortar and artillery rounds however, especially when rapid screening is required. But... DON'T. GET. HIT.
In AIR it burns, In WATER it burns, and IN YOU it burns. Willy Pete won't really "light you on fire", but that fragmentation hitting you? Will burn... And Burn, AND BURN... a pit in your skin ALL the way to AND THROUGH your bone. That's why if your buddy gets hit with Willie Pete, as cruel and inhumane as it might soumd; You HOLD HIM DOWN, AND CUT *ALL* THAT SHIT OUT. As long as it exists and hasn't burned ALL of itself up, it will KEEP burning until it does so...
I do love the Marines though, and offer a salute o7 to their "Shake N" Bake" tactic. Using Incendiary weapons which is one of many categories WP falls into; is against the Geneva convention if used on or near civilians. HOWEVER, using it for "Smoke Screening" is completely legal still. So the Marines just happen to call their smoke in right where the bad guys are dug in, and once they start coughing from the Phosphorus smoke and feel it burning in their lungs and throat (Not literally, but as in its irritating their airways; perhaps like a mild tear gas? Idk, I have never tried to gas myself. Especially with something as toxic as WP (If you want nightmares, besides googling White Phosphorus wounds, also look up Phossy Jaw)
Anyways, so they're coughing and the panicing a bit which causes mosr of them to break cover and run for it trying to scramble to somewhere else RIGHT in time to receive the second barrage from the USMC, sending their regards, along with alotta HE, and wishing them the best...😂
@@pyro1047 Yeah as far as I know We Were Soldiers is the only place that shows an actual WP Grenade and I agree WP is the stuff of nightmares for me because it just does not stop burning... IF you get hit with that shit then yes the only way you will survive is basically what you said HOLD HIM DOWN and CUT IT OUT of him... while the poor SOB will be screaming his lungs out all the way... As far as Shake N" Bake is concerned trust me you can really get fucked up by that "Smoke Screen" WP ....
Joe Galloway had honestly as important of a role in this battle as any of the other soldiers. We need a civilian’s perspective on the battlefield to show the people back home why war is never, NEVER the answer.
Agreed. Well said.
And, he really did protect the wounded soldiers from what I have heard!
In some cases war is the only answer however Vietnam was not one of those cases. It was a purely civil war caused by divisions within after the Vietnamese people had successfully rebelled against their French colonial masters exploited by both the Chinese communist government and the American government to fight a "low cost" proxy war. The south Vietnamese were largely controlled by the corrupt former burocrats who worked for the French while the NVA was a true grass roots force supplied and trained by Chinese advisors. Had it not been for the Chinese involvement and Americas obsession with fighting communism America could well have found itself supporting the other side. That's what the author hinted at when he said it was a war the Americans never understood. America and the west in general turned a blind eye to far too many of their " allies" crimes and brutality in order to oppose the red menace.
"Heeeey, Joe." Jimmy Hendrix
Unfortunately unless you are prepared to allow aggressors to take your land and rule over you, you have to defend yourself. Wars have been fought since the beginning of human history, this is how the countries we have now were formed. We've had relative peace in the West since the devastation of WWII, but now malevolent forces are working to destabilise that peace.
Alot of moments and scenes are tear jerkers, but that one line when Gibson said, "I dont know if I'll forgive myself....that my men died, and I didn't." Still hits hard
You have to see the 2 movies directed by Clint Eastwood about the battle of Iwo Jima: Flag Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, movies that Clint filmed one after the other, both came out in 2006, Flag Of Our Fathers narrates the US side of the conflict and Letters From Iwo Jima shows the Japanese side, that last movie I think is the best of the two, and was nominated for awards.
I would love to react to both of those films!
@@andrewgordon7662Flags of our Fathers is a great movie. I hope you get to react to it. I haven’t seen Letters From Iwo Jima.
Letters From Iwo Jima was fantastic and certaonly the better of the two films.
I'm so glad you watched this movie, it's one of my favorites! I don't watch it often because i usually cry through the entire movie. As a military brat, it's so nostalgic with the living on base and living through my mom and my sisters and I waiting and hoping that Dad came back safely from his deployment. I love that they took the time and showed what the families at home were going through. If you're a reader the book is excellent. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it and that you noticed all the little details that mean so much and make this movie so excellent.
To answer you questions on the history of Bugels on the battlefield, Musical instruments were used for a long time as means of conveying orders. They had a much better time of cutting through the noise of battle than the human voice did and you'd use specific tunes or drum rhythms to give orders and messages.
The skin coming off with boots did happens for real as did basically everything in the movie. Listening to Joe Galloway relive that is haunting. That man can still see it, hear it, smell
It, and feel the bones in his hands.
As a military child seeing friends finding out about there parents death hurts so much
That is the General Electric M134 Minigun. It fires standard NATO 7.62mm x 51mm FMJ rifle rounds at a variable rate of 2,000-6,000 rounds per min. When equipped on the AC-47 it was known in vietnam as "Puff the magic dragon" as it breathed fire and turned anything in its crosshairs to a red smoke/mist... a.k.a. "The only thing that scared the VC". It's slightly older cousin which was much heavier was used in many fighter aircraft was the M61 Vulcan which fired the 20mm x 102mm round at 6,000+/min. That later lead to the GAU/8 Avenger which is the 30mm x 173mm that gives the A-10 its BRRRRRRP.
My great uncle was a pilot for the First Cavalry and he showed me this movie when I was young, thank you for the reaction fellas. Btw he said the men sat on their helmets because bullets went through the heli like butter
When this movie came a co-worker who was in Nam when this movie was set said it was the most accurate war movie to what actually happened over there at that time.
Madeleine Stowe will lead to "The Last of the Mohicans"
This movie always lives me in tears. I don’t care how you feel about your government but you have to respect any man willing to fight and die for his country. It takes balls to willingly put yourself in danger. I will always respect any soldier until he gives a reason not to
One thing that I appreciate about this movie (and that makes it unique as far as American made Vietnam War films), is that it spends a fair amount of time humanizing the NVA as well. The fact we see the battle from the North Vietnamese perspective (and especially their commander's perspective) is a great touch. The aftermath scene where the commander takes the American flag down and gives a short speech to his subordinate about how this battle is just beginning but "the end will be the same" apart from how many on his side will die to get there is extremely poetic and it foreshadows how ultimately the US continuing to invest so many of its own soldiers lives into this conflict didn't ultimately lead to the result it wanted.
agreed, the one war we should not have involved in 🫡🇺🇸
@@alexto137 Based on my own experiences (anecdotal for sure) as an American, I think I've never heard anyone (left, right, center etc.) outright defend America's involvement in Vietnam. There's nuances within the perspectives I've heard and differences of course between different people on different aspects of the war, but as far as the war itself, there's pretty universal agreement that we f'd up big time by getting involved.
He then puts the flag back like a headstone
@@seanbinkley7363i've lkterally heard rightwingers abd reliblcians say they shoudln't have left nd that the liberal pansies betrayed rhe war effort
I have seen them have rhe same reaction to the pukk out of Afghanistan
This and hacksaw ridge are my favorite war movies
This movie and saving private Ryan should be shown in every school so kids can learn what what family an compassion means and also what it took for our freedom.
Didn’t know France was involved? Bro that was their colony. They dragged us into that conflict. That’s such a crucial part to understanding Vietnam! 😭
Hal Moore was on the set to make sure it was done right. I would recommend you watch "A Tribute to LTG Hal Moore" as a follow up.
One of the best Vietnam war movies ever made in my opinion, gets into the emotional and the loss and the true carnage of what war is and can be.
From the portrayal of Moore by Mel Gibson if it was even in the same ballpark I could see why his men would follow such a leader through the gates of hell itself.
We need more leaders in our military with the tactical mind and the that cares about his men to where they are not considered expendable cannon fodder on the battlefield.
Also depicted the heroism of those air cav chopper pilots that did so much entering that hot LZ to bring in troops, supplies and take out the wounded.
This movie played a lot to the respect those men so rightly deserve.
I have seen the movie but not read the book and usually the book is always better than the movie.
I need to rectify that and order a copy of the book.
As a medically retired, disabled OIF/OEF combat veteran I can say this - Right before you know you're about to engage an enemy for the first time your mind is racing with thoughts of exactly what you'd expect. At least it was for me. Thoughts of home, thoughts of anything but what you're about to do - and then it is quickly followed up with EXACTLY what you're about to do.
When you do make contact though, it all goes away and you can't help but focus on the fight and the people standing beside you. That's exactly why so many people struggle with it afterward, because you don't have time to process it all until you have downtime. That's why training is so important; it's what you default to when you don't have time to think. It is quite literally the only thing that keeps you alive.
Thank you for doing this video, I will parrot what another veteran said earlier in this comment thread. You should really look at the series Band of Brothers.
The first part of this was filmed in Fort Benning Ga. It was renamed after Gen Moore and is now called Fort Moore. The 2nd half was filmed at Hunter-Leggatt Ca.
I remember the war. I was young, but we had bracelets that had the number of POWs and we wrote letters to their families at school. I work for a vet who was a nurse (male) in Vietnam. This is one of his favorite movies. He worked on the planes that flew in and dead dropped to pick up injured. They picked everyone alive up, regardless of what side they were on, including civilians. There were at least 20 minutes, often much longer, from any doctors and they held those boys together as best they could. He lives with the side effects of the Agent Orange and suffers with what they call Sundowners Syndrome. I have so much respect for this man. My father was a Korean war veteran but rarely talked about it. So much respect for all of our troops. And yes, regardless of "sides" they are all someone's son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister. If only the leaders would have a duel with each other and keep their citizens out of it. I bet there would be much less war. Also, I know Mel Gibson can be a hot button for people, myself included, but he is an amazing actor and always comes through in these kind of roles. Enjoyed your disscussion, ✌💖😀
We Were Soldiers was filmed at a military base, Fort Hunter Liggett, CA near my neck of the woods. The trees used for the production of this film, excluding the native oak chaparral vegetation, were sycamore saplings I believe and the surviving saplings were later sold off. My dad bought 4-5 of those saplings but only 1 survives today. As a local, I know more trivia but I'll let those interested in the history of the production of this film to be researched on their own.
This was so hard to get through.. My grandfather is on The Wall, killed late in the war (06/29/1972.) He was a Forward Air Controller flying for the 20th TASS (Tactical Air Support Squadron) out of Da Nang. He is credited with saving 51 men in a span of 20 minutes. 50 on the ground and his backseater. This war has effected my family in almost every way possible. This movie has honored men who fought and died in that war more than any other. If I ever have the privilege of meeting either of you two, or anyone involved with the movie, I would express my profound appreciation. This was hard to get through, but thank you for going through it with me.
John you're a true empath, don't let anyone tell you that this is a bad thing. We need more people like you
Listening to countless Vietnam veterans interviews most have mentioned this as being the only movie to portray it as what it was. It wasn’t all fragging their officers they didn’t like, smoking pot and doing drugs, drafting men wasn’t as common as we think a lot of men actually volunteered.
One of the greatest war movies ever if you ask me.
If you like the movie. Then i recommend Ken Burns documentary series about the Vietnam war, we get to hear from Hal Moore and from Joe Galloway telling the real story. (He breaks down in tears talking about the trooper with the napalm burn)
Hal’s (Mel Gibson) wife is actress Madeline Stowe .. She starred with Brad Pitt & Bruce Willis in “The Twelve Monkeys”
Bugles have been used for battlefield communication for centuries.
Different "tunes" meant different things.
Charge
Advance
Retreat
et cetera
Bugle calls were even used on military bases and outposts. For instance, "Tattoo" was played at night and was originally played to let the bartenders in the clubs on base know to "turn the taps to" {off} and stop serving for the night. "Taps to" became "Tattoo".
They recently renamed Fort Benning, Georgia (Home of the Infantry) Fort Moore (after Lieutenant General Hal Moore and his wife Julia. (Gibson and Madeline Stowe)
Well, Colonel Morre is a) a Battalion Commander and b) there is literally no place he can be in that valley where he would not get involved in fighting.
His opponent is a divisional commander, e.g. a general. THose guys are not supposed to be fighting, they got the bigger picture to take care of.
This. The battlefield was literally just like he described as a possibility. Smaller than a football field.
His opponent was a Colonel. Hal was a Lt. Col
An underrated gem of Madadine Stowe is Unlawful Entry with Kurt Russell and Ray Leota
My dad was a crew chief in Vietnam on a Huey. He actually flew over the actual battlefield about 1 year after this battle. LTG Hal Moore and SGM Plumley are legends, to say the least!
What I can appreciate about the scene with the NVA platoon moving in on the cutoff platoons position in the pitch dark. Is the sound of the heavy shaking breathing from one of the soldiers. It goes to show they were just as scared as our soldiers were.
In college, I did a project and used this book as my basis.
Galloway and Hal Moore wrote it together and the Vietnamese general Nguyen and Moore met each other after the war to speak and reconcile.
Vietnam was the U.S.’ great mistake, and our reconciliation with Vietnam has been one of our best.
30:21 no, they are doing covering fire. The idea is to make the enemy put their heads down so everyone else can get off the choppers.
The reason there is so much focus on Snake and Too Tall is that both pilots volunteered to go in over and over again, even after X-Ray was closed and other crews were grounded. Both of them knew the dangers and yet went anyways. Without their contributions, the 7th would have probably ran out of supplies, men wouldn’t have received fast treatment, and the entire operation would have ended far differently. For their actions both pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor.
I’ve seen an interview with the real reporter, Joseph Galloway, and the scene where the young soldier, Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama, actually happened in the way depicted…. Down to the meat being pulled from the bones when he attempted to assist. In the interview with Joseph, you can see that 1,000 yard stare as tears came down. He talked about all of the faces that were burnt into his mind from that horrific battle and you could tell that he carried that with him until he died in 2021. Jimmy Nakayama did survive initially, but would die a few days later while receiving care for his wounds. Joseph Galloway would become the only civilian to be awarded the Bronze Star during the war.
Additional Sgt Savage would receive the Distinguished Service Cross (the second highest distinction below the Medal of Honor) for his actions on the battlefield.
John Lance "Jack" Geoghegan would be posthumously awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Air Medal. He would die from the wounds sustained trying to save the man who he assisted in the movie by looking at his foot, Specialist Godbolt. Their names are next to each other on the Vietnam Wall Memorial.
My grandpa was drafted in 1966 and by 1967 he was in country. He was in the tet offensive.
You guys were man enough to film yourselves shedding tears for our men. Respect.
This movie is underrated. It was released at a time when war movies were experiencing a resurgence thanks to the success of Saving Private Ryan. In 2002, it was starting to fade, and audiences were tiring of them. Another underrated gem released that same year was Windtalkers. Worth checking out.
The speech is iconic, that is a true leader!!
A lot of people tend to hate on war movies that mel Gibson does because of the exaggerations, but the one thing he always does well is portray the emotion and carnage of wartime.
For the first time i know a thumbnails not clickbait. Let the emotions flow gentleman.
Yall have earned a lifelong fan in me. Mad respect for your vulnerability in showing your emotions to the world. Secondly when yall said regardless of your dislike of Gibson, you respect his performance in this film. Takes a big man to be able to give kudos to someone they don’t agree with on many things 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The patches on the right sleeve indicate service in combat with that particular unit. The patch on the left sleeve is the unit they are currently assigned to.
This is my favorite true events war movie of all time. The portray of what everyone has to go through is so visceral and palatable. My high school history teacher was a Vietnam helicopter pilot and broke down one day in class. Telling us about the screams, blood, body parts and friends crying and dying for their comrades. Needless to say we didn't get any work done that day. He had to take a break by his desk for that period and we all understood and were quietly talking amongst ourselves to give him space.
You know the scene during the opening, where the bugler is shot in the neck. And at the end he is executed by rhe NVA. That soldier was played by the directors son. Whom was so disturbed by the sight of his son being “executed” in such a brutal manner, he had to walk off set for a moment.
One of things I always loved about this movie was it showing the battle at home. My first husband was infantry deployed to Iraq back in 2005 and 2009. Although we knew the Army had come a long way from telegrams, it was always in the back of every wife's mind that any one of us could get a chaplain and a counselor knocking on our door at any time. Heartbreaking as it was to watch in the movie, it was nice to see that stress and struggle recognized.
i don’t recognize that agent phil coulson was in the film 😱
1:38:53
Adapt or die.
I don't know if yall mentioned this.... but that charge he led towards the enemy camp...was in a way.. just like Custer's charge and you see Gibson's eyes widen as he realizes the situation while running up that hill....a great moment. And then the cavalry.... saves their butts.
So, my dad was a Force Recon Marine from 1959-1970. He did 4 combat tours in Vietnam: '65, '66, '68, & '69. He was attached to MACV-SOG, and almost all of his unit's records were lost in a fire at the records warehouse in the 1970s. I didn't learn must about his service until after he died in '87 a couple months after I turned 11. Then I was suddenly trying to drink from a fire hose of information. Long story short, my old man was practically Captain America. He was also a hardcore student of military history, and he described Col. Moore to me as "Just about as good a combat tactician as there was in the war."
My dad always talked about how incredibly tough, smart, and valiant the NVA and VC soldiers were.
The purpose of the troops shooting as they get off the chopper is this: the helicopters (lifeblood of refreshing troops and supplies to the battlefield) are most exposed when sitting still, as they unload and as they begin to fly out. The men provide suppressive fire to keep any enemy heads down, as the troops disembark. That way, you can minimize potential mass casualty coalescense, right as they get off.
1:00:00 I highly recommend watching a video of the real Joseph L. Galloway talking about this moment during the battle. They shot this scene EXACTLY the way Joe described it... heartbreaking seeing him break down while talking about it. A sight like that would DEFINITELY haunt me for the rest of my life...
My Father was there and received the Bronze Star with SGM Plumley and many others in this and the subsequent battles. He never spoke of it. I found the original Bronze Star orders and a Thanksgiving Day menu that took place just 2+ weeks later in An Khe. I was one of those little kids in p.j.s at Fort Benning in 1965.
This movie touched me personally more than any movie I've ever seen and i pieced it together while seeing it at the movie theater.
I miss my Pops. He's been gone since 1988 despite surviving WW2, Korea and Vietnam. Yet again, he never said a word.
My ex husband deployed 3 times to iraq at the height of the war the last thing i would say was " No medals, No flags" meaning dont do anything crazy to get medals cause back then you got those for really bad shit and of course no flag meaning i didn't want to be given a flag over his grave. Now thats what i say to my son. I spent years volunteering with Army wife organizations that Mrs. Moore helped found.
Second favorite war movie of all time behind hacksaw ridge
Before the gun was invented, battles were fought with sticks, rocks, sharp rocks, and sharpened steel. Before guns, battles were a hand to hand up and close personal fight. When the battle was over and you were lucky to walk away, you walked away covered in blood.
Great movie 4 stars. When the officers leave in the middle of the night. And when the wounded soldiers return to the states and no one greets them in the airport, won’t ever not hit me hard.
The Film hit me everytime. Specially the Extendet Version gives it even more depth. And with some Historuc Context it hits even ahrder, because what Hal Moore said on Day2 about Replacement of the Troops would lead to slaughter, became true. The Unit that took the place of the 7 Kav. got slaughtert by the Vietcon Div. two Weeks later.
The Vietnam War is the best Exaplme for a Local War where Great Powers try too interfere, the US should have never entered this War.
To end with something positiv, i feel hope for humanity when i see that People like Hal Moore ecxist, if there are more People like him the World would be a more peaceful Place too live.
25:50 its a silver oak leaf, the insignia of a lieutenant colonel.
Never clicked on a video so fast! Thank ya’ll for reacting to this one.
12:42 yes, for big Army, the M16 rifles (designated the XM16E1) were brand new rifles at the time. DARPA and Green Berets were conducting field trials of the rifle as early as 1961. By the time of this battle in 1965, the M16 had been officially adopted. As brand new rifles, they performed very well in the field.
In fact, Col. Moore himself said one of the reasons they were able to survive was because they were using the M16. The US hadn’t been in heavy combat yet in Vietnam and many of the teething troubles the M16 faced hadn’t been experienced yet.
The final charge did not happen, Another battalion from 7th Calvary was helicoptered in an they marched in to relieve them. Unfortunately they were ambushed at their LZ (LZ Albany) and they took more KIA than Moore’s battalion. We started the body count strategy and ten years later we lost the war
Barry Peppers character received a Bronze Star with a "V" (for Valor) in this battle for carrying a wounded soldier to a helicopter. He was the only civilian from the war to receive one I believe.
Instruments in Wartime (Drums, Bugle, etc...) were used to command troop movements. The human voice isn't loud enough to cover a battlefield so they would use instruments to signal charge, retreat, flank, Artillery, Calvery, etc..
My uncle fought with Colonel Moore at Ia Drang. He never would talk about it until just before he died. As family of those who went through this, I thank you for watching this. As a Vet myself, thank you for remembering those who went before.